TCM Tonight: Marnie (1964)

“Marnie is a very difficult picture to classify. It is not Psycho, nor do we have a horde of birds flapping about and pecking at people willy-nilly,” director Alfred Hitchcock says, “One might call Marnie a ‘sex mystery’ that is, if one used such words.”

Starring Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery, it is the story of a deeply troubled woman and the man who wishes to help her (or tame her, depending on how you look at it). This is a difficult picture to classify and at times, a difficult picture to watch. There are times I wish I could reach through the screen and slap Mark Rutland (Connery), especially during the rape scene.

Yes, I said ‘rape scene’. It is when Marnie Edgar (Hedren) is laid down on the bed, frozen with fear and then it cuts to a close-up of Mark. Cutting back to Marnie, the camera then slowly pans to the window and the scene ends.

Darlings, I tell you this only as a warning. If you are sensitive to this, then do not watch it. Otherwise, watch it with the knowledge that Alfred Hitchcock had his own neurosis. This picture is definitely worth a look!